27 April, Slovenia: National Resistance Day

In Slovenia, The Liberation Front was established in Ljubljana on 26 April 1941 in the house of writer and literary critic Josip Vidmar, only two weeks after Slovenia was occupied by Nazi Germany and ten days after the Yugoslav authorities surrendered in Belgrade.

The front soon became known as the Slovenian Liberation Front. As a result, the day after its establishment began to be celebrated as the Day of the Liberation Front.

After Slovenia gained independence in 1991, the holiday was renamed Resistance Day.

Celebration of freedom

Slovenian Coat of Arms

According to official Slovenian sources, The National Resistance Day is a celebration of the fundamental values of freedom, courage, ingenuity and culture.

The Second World War forced the Slovenian nation to take many important decisions. The decision to resist the occupation required a clearly defined position on the existence of the nation and a complete break with the past.

The National Resistance Day is regarded as an opportunity to remember and reflect on the greatness of the war of national liberation and the global dimension of the fight against Fascism and Nazism, as well as the historic destiny of the Slovenian nation and the ethical core of Slovenia’s recent history.